‘In Marcia Lake's book, Grace, she gives a searingly honest account of her life, recalling how at one stage she was locked in a high-security ward after being diagnosed with Schizophrenia. The 36-year-old is now a poet, singer-songwriter and volunteer who helps cancer patients at a local hospital. Marcia has performed her music on stage in London and is also a published poet. "I had always written songs, but, after my breakdown, I pushed myself to do things. I always wanted to record and perform."

Marcia hopes her book will challenge people's perceptions of mental illness.

"I feel I had the most taboo condition, Schizophrenia, but all mental illness is taboo," she said. "It's got a bad perception and that needs to change. There was a stigma with a lot of illnesses, such as epilepsy, and there was with cancer. Now we have reached the point where we accept cancer and we need to get there with mental health."

Marcia, who had recovered fully from her breakdown by the time she was 30, says,  "I don't believe in feeling sorry for myself. I think cancer is a lot tougher to deal with than mental illness."’